"Phew..." IF wipes the sweat off of her face as the last monster vanishes into digitized mass. "That... took way longer than I thought it would..."
The brunette had been just finishing up a series of Quests that the Guild had assigned to her. She typically spent her days out in the open, though normally she was more fit for espionage and spying than simple monster hunting. Ultimately, it didn't matter to her, she got paid either way.
Of course, she would have liked it if her buddies at the Guild had mentioned that the Fenrir she was assigned to kill had a few of its own buddies with him, or that the noise from the fighting was going to wake up a nearby Ancient Dragon nest, bringing out a ton of angry and irritable Dragons who had been prematurely woken from their hibernation.
Well, she made it out anyway, but she was gonna bug them for extra pay when she returned with her report.
"What's done is done, I guess..." IF picked up her Qatars from the ground. The blades had been dirtied and chipped in the fight, they'd need a good cleaning later. "This weather sure as hell didn't help." IF looked up at the crystal clear blue sky that hung over Virtua Forest, feeling the heat of the Sun beat down on her. Summers in Planeptune were the worst, unless your name was Leanbox, and IF hated doing physical work in the heat. The fighting left her sweaty and covered in dirt and grime. Depending on her mood, she might just foot the Guild her cleaning bill.
IF tugged at her collar and fanned herself. She needed a bath, now, and she didn't feel like waiting until she got home to take one. The train rides tended to be long, and the last thing she wanted was to look like she didn't know how to bathe to a bunch of strangers.
Her emerald eyes scanned the forest for a short time until she found what she was looking for: A natural spring, all clean and unbothered right for her.
Well, that meant bathing naked in public, but... "Eh, why the hell not?"
Grinning, IF stripped out of her clothes as she made her way towards the springs. She made sure to neatly fold them and leave them near the pond, her Qatars laying on top. If she was being honest, she felt uneasy leaving her weapons behind, but she only planned to bathe for a few minutes. If she caught some pervert watching her, she'd deal with them.
With that said, IF took a dip into the natural springs. A few seconds later she rose up from underwater and pushed her wet hair back, rinsing out the dirt and mud as she did so. The water felt just right, not so cold she'd be freezing nor so hot it would have scalded her. It wasn't too deep either, only going up to her thighs, but she was still exposed for any prying eyes to see.
Though she didn't think she was even half as physically attractive as the likes of Compa or Lady Vert, just the mere sight of a naked girl bathing out in the open would be way too enticing for some people.
With that in mind, IF began scrubbing. The dirt and grime came off easily, as well as any in her hair. In mere moments, the brunette was squeaky clean. "Much better..."
Shuffle shuffle...
"?!" In an instant, IF turns around and covers her chest with her arms. Her eyes instantly darted for the bush where the sound came from. To her shock, she noticed that her clothes and weapons were gone. "What the-?! Hey!" She called out. "Whoever the hell you are, come out!"
Anxiety spiking, IF dashed out of the springs, her eyes scanning all around the area around her. Her mind jumped to an ambush, taking her essentials when she wasn't looking so her attackers could kidnap her, or maybe rape her. The thought sent a chill up her spine.
"I won't ask again, dammit!" IF shouted. "Get your ass out here and give me back my stuff!"
Shuffle shuffle...
"!" IF's eyes locked on to the bush, shuffling and shifting from something clearly inside of it. IF tensed up, bracing herself for someone to pop out and attack her and-
A lone Dogoo shuffled out of the bush, bouncing and hopping without a care, not even glancing at the brunette.
"..."
She noticed something inside of it. A rapidly deteriorating piece of metal that had once been one of her Qatars, and the torn edge of a sleeve that belonged to her jacket. Both dissolved in seconds.
... Well, at least she knew where her equipment went.
That, however, did not stop IF from running over to the Dogoo and angrily stomping on it with her right foot. The blob of useless blue jelly exploded under her foot like a balloon, reduced to blue mass that IF stomped on over and over again in a fit of rage.
"Goddammit! You stupid freaking Dogoo! That was my favorite jacket! And my weapons! Gah!"
It took a few minutes for IF's rage to finally subside, and when it did, a swell of annoyance and anxiety took over. Annoyance, because all of her clothes and weapons were now reduced to nothing. Anxiety, because...
IF glanced at the distant skyline of Planeptune. It'd take her some time just to get to the city, but traversing inside it, while completely nude? It wasn't like IF could call Neptune, or Compa, or any of her friends for help, and being arrested for public nudity was something she did not want on her record. It'd cost her the position she had at the Guild, at the very least.
With that in mind, IF took a deep breath, steeling herself. She didn't know Planeptune's inner city as well as she'd have liked, and that alone was going to fuck her over. She had to get to Planeptune's Basilicom, somehow, and get to Neptune so she could get some new clothes. It wouldn't be that hard, right?
As IF began to travel back to Planeptune, somehow she doubted it'd ever be that east.
Yup. This is gonna be a multi-chapter fic. Rated M because it's only gonna get more sexual from here. Reviews would be nice. Ciao.